Media Centre - Press releases

CEPI (the Confederation of European Paper Industries) has presented a Trade Barrier Regulation (“TBR”) complaint to the European Commission against the unfair non-automatic import licensing system established by Turkey concerning, inter alia, EU exports of uncoated wood free (“UWF”) paper, which includes office paper, books, envelopes and paper used for direct mail marketing.

Following an inconclusive safeguard investigation on UWF imports in 2014-2015, Turkey extended in 2016 an existing import licensing system which targeted €150 million of EU exports of UWF paper products.

The Turkish non-automatic import licensing system with regard to UWF paper is based on an arbitrary price threshold and creates a significant and unfair obstacle to EU-Turkey trade. As such, the contested system poses a clear violation of WTO and EU-Turkey Customs Union Agreement which the Commission is currently seeking to strengthen.

“The European pulp and paper industry exports more than 20% of its production worldwide. It is essential that the EU ensures with all its trading partners the full respect of free trade and fair competition rules we have in bilateral agreements like with Turkey and at WTO level” say Sylvain Lhôte

For more information, please contact Bernard Lombard at b.lombard@cepi.org or by phone at (+32) 2 627 49 22

To align with its new “Declaration on Paper Recycling” the European Recovered Paper Council (ERPC) has been renamed the European Paper Recycling Council (EPRC). The name change also takes into consideration the use of the term of paper for recycling rather than recovered paper in the updated European Standard List of Grades of Paper and Board for Recycling (EN 643).

To coincide with the launch of the new title and identity, a more user-friendly website is now live and includes additional information on the EPRC’s activities and more on its plan to meet its new paper recycling rate target of 74% by 2020.

The chairmanship of the EPRC has also rotated accordingly with the confirmation of Lisa Kretschmann, Managing Director of the European Federation of Envelope Manufacturers (FEPE) as new chairperson for the 2016-2020 commitment/monitoring period. “I am delighted to have been selected as the new chairperson of the ERPC at a time where the European paper recycling value-chain seeks to surpass new boundaries with its revised target of 74% paper recycling rate. I am confident that the rebranding will provide the EPRC with an opportunity to relaunch the debate on how to achieve effective paper recycling across Europe” says Lisa Kretschmann

The EPRC is also now accepting applications for the 6th edition of the European Paper Recycling Awards, hosted by member of the European Parliament Ms. Simona Bonafè. Full information including eligibility criteria can be consulted here.

For more information, please contact Ulrich Leberle at u.leberle@cepi.org or by phone at (+32) 627 49 23

The European Recycled Paper Council (ERPC) was set up as an industry self-initiative in November 2000 to monitor progress towards meeting the paper recycling targets set out in the 2000 European Declaration on Paper Recycling. Since then the commitments in the Declaration are renewed every 5 years. In 2017 the ERPC committed itself to meeting and maintaining a voluntary recycling rate target of 74% in the EU27 plus Switzerland and Norway by 2020 as well as qualitative targets in areas such as waste prevention, ecodesign, and research and development. In 2017, Members of the ERPC are ACE, CEPI, CITPA, EMFA, ERPA, ETS, FEPE, INGEDE and INTERGRAF. Supporters are Afera, EuPIA, FINAT and RadTECH Europe. The European Commission, DG Environment and DG Grow, are permanent observers to the ERPC.

SÃO PAULO – The theme of the 2017 United Nations International Day of Forests is Forests and Energy. The International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA) of which CEPI is a member is proud to represent the global forest products industry, which plays an important role in contributing to the production of renewable energy. While manufacturing its products from wood sourced from sustainably managed forests, the industry reduces dependence on fossil fuels. It uses by wood manufacturing residuals, byproducts and forest residues – collectively known as biomass – to produce efficiently much of the energy required for its operations and provides heat to local communities as well as to electrify the grid.

According to the international carbon accounting principle, when combusted for energy, biomass does not contribute to global climate change as growing trees sequester carbon from the atmosphere via photosynthesis. The ICFPA reiterates the carbon neutrality of biomass in a policy statement here

“The sustainable management of forestry including the efficient use of biomass for energy is key to achieving global climate change commitments and are core principles in making the low-carbon bioeconomy a reality in Europe.” says Sylvain Lhôte, Director General at CEPI

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, wood provides the world with roughly 40 percent of current global renewable energy supply – more than solar, hydroelectric or wind power. Sustainably-managed forests have a key role in meeting several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and providing solutions for a growing green economy.

To increase the role of forests in providing renewable energy and to reduce the use of fossil fuels, the forest-based industry invests in technological innovation and sustainably-managed forests to improve yields and practices. In the past ten years, the energy share of biomass and other renewable fuels has increased ten percentage points from 53 to 63 percent.

The ICFPA represents more than 30 national and regional forest and paper associations around the world, including CEPI
For more information about the sustainability of the global forest and paper industry, visit icfpa.org.

The European Parliament has today opted to follow the ambitious lead set by Environment committee’s vote on the Circular Economy package in January this year.

The most important outcome from today’s vote is that MEPs moved in favour of one single calculation method that enshrines real and comparable recycling rates both in and for Europe.

“Today, the European Parliament has fully grasped the opportunity to make the Circular Economy work for Europe by enabling industry and local authorities to better target where investment needs to take place” says CEPI Director General Sylvain Lhôte

CEPI recognises that the new recycling targets are ambitious while providing new opportunities in terms of improving quality.

“For an industry where over half of our feedstock comes from paper for recycling, the Parliament’s approach means greater use of raw materials whilst putting the emphasis on quality” says CEPI Raw Materials Director Ulrich Leberle

The vote to encourage the use of bio-based packaging also demonstrates the importance of a Circular Economy that builds upon Europe’s wealth of renewable resources while accelerating the transition towards a low-carbon economy.

Finally the continued assertion of the separate collection of paper is viewed by the European paper and board industry as a means to bridge ambitious targets with higher quality recycling.

CEPI together with other partners in the European paper value chain will shortly publish its updated European Declaration on Paper Recycling where it addresses its commitment to the new targets.

The Circular Economy is one of the core elements necessary to achieving industry transformation in Europe as outlined in our ‘Investment Roadmap’ towards a low-carbon bioeconomy. Check out our alignment matrix for the full picture.

CEPI is today opening the call for applications for the European edition of the “Blue Sky Young Researchers” award for innovation in the pulp and paper industry. Building on the success of the Young Researchers session traditionally held during our annual event European Paper Week this will be the very first time that the renewed award will be granted on a Europe only level.

Eight shortlisted candidates will receive a paid trip to Brussels, Belgium, to present their work before high-level guests and top industry CEOs at CEPI’s annual event and 25th anniversary at European Paper Week in November 2017.

From the shortlist, three successful researchers will be granted the award and invited to present their work at the High Level Session at our annual event. They will also be automatically entered into an international competition where they will be within the chance of winning the global “Global Blue Sky Innovation Award” at a CEO’s roundtable in 2019.
Eligibility criteria

Candidates must:

- Have an idea that could revolutionise the paper industry. The idea is not only about research and development; it is about innovation and about being inspirational, interesting and green.
- Be under 35 years of age
- Currently be working under the supervision of a European research institute or university (regardless of nationality)
- Be fluent in English with good presentation skills
Registration is open now. Applications can be submitted here.
We encourage applicants to apply early. If you are a young researcher this could be your chance to share your work with those who matter and propel your idea to the forefront of the paper industry!

For more information, please contact Bernard de Galembert at b.degalembert@cepi.org or by phone at (+32) 2 627 49 27

The European paper industry has today launched the reviewed version of its 2050 Roadmap detailing the pathways and investment needed to cut its carbon emissions by 80% while creating 50% more added-value. The Roadmap projects the need for €44 billion more investment - a 40% increase on current levels - to transform industry in Europe and lead the low-carbon bioeconomy by 2050.

The Confederation of European Paper Industry (CEPI) pioneered in 2011 the first low-carbon industry Roadmap. It is today the first industry to table a blueprint to bolster industry transformation. Today the industry reaffirms its vision that decarbonisation and growth are mutually compatible and calls for a better alignment of policy, research and financing conditions to boost investment in Europe.

“Since our first Roadmap in 2011 the paper industry has invested €15 billion in Europe. More must be done to accelerate industry transformation in Europe over the next decade” say Sylvain Lhôte CEPI’s Director General. “It is now essential to lift-off the low-carbon bioeconomy and pace of transformation”

From energy efficiency to deployment of breakthrough technologies, emissions reduction pathways were estimated to require a combined additional investment of €24 billion by 2050. A further €20 billion of investment would be required to boost the production of new low carbon bio-based products.

“The European Commission has rightly put the focus back on investment” adds Sylvain Lhôte “However; it lacks a long-term commitment to drive manufacturing investments back to Europe. The time to act is now; the policy framework for the next decade is being shaped now and over the next three years”.

For more information, please contact Bernard de Galembert at b.degalembert@cepi.org or by phone at (+32) 2 627 49 27
For press related enquiries, please contact Ben Kennard at b.kennard@cepi.org or by phone at (+32 487 39 21 82)

Europe is the cradle of the manufacturing industry and has been at the forefront of industrial revolutions and technological innovations. The industry directly employs over 34 million people across all Member States, in supply chains comprising hundreds of thousands of SMEs and larger suppliers. It also indirectly accounts for millions of additional jobs in related sectors.

The European manufacturing industry has tremendous capacity for research and innovation, boasts a skilled workforce and has earned a global reputation for quality and sustainability. What it now needs is the swift and determined support of the European institutions and the Member States to create more jobs and growth in Europe.

The time has come to raise the alarm about the considerable challenges that we are all facing. Between 2000 and 2014, the share of manufacturing in total EU output fell from 18.8% to 15.3%, while 3.5 million manufacturing jobs were lost between 2008 and 2014. Meanwhile, countries around the world are putting industry at the very top of their political agendas. The “Make in India” strategy aims to ensure India is “the next manufacturing destination” and “Made in China 2025” seeks to turn China into the “leading manufacturing power”. The recent US shift towards “America First” will inevitably have a strong impact on their industrial policy.

At the beginning of his mandate, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker identified the reindustrialisation of Europe as one of his top priorities and confirmed the objective of increasing the share of industry in the European GDP to 20% by 2020. As we approach the preparation of the next Multiannual Financial Framework, it is vital for the European Commission to act and help the EU remain a competitive global industrial power playing in a fairer world market.

Therefore we, the European manufacturing industry, representing a diverse range of sectors, call on the European Commission to:

reaffirm its commitment to reaching the target of 20% of GDP from industry, with an ambitious and realistic timeline;

adopt an Action Plan to tackle the challenges that the industrial sectors are facing, in the framework of a Communication that would include concrete steps and milestones; and

commit to implement this Action Plan in a timely manner and regularly report on progress.

Member States and the European Parliament clearly stated their full support for a strong European industrial strategy via the European Council Conclusions calling to strengthen and modernise the EU’s industrial base (15 December 2016) and the Parliament Resolution on the need for a European reindustrialisation policy (5 October 2016).

We, the Signatories of this Joint Declaration, are ready to step up our cooperation with the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Competitiveness Council to define and implement this ambitious and coordinated European industrial strategy that will help safeguard the world leadership of European manufacturers and jobs in Europe.

Following today’s vote at plenary on the Emissions Trading System the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) is overall encouraged by the compromise text reached. There is much in the agreement that the industry can be positive about, retaining many of the key components of the compromise text agreed the Environment committee (ENVI) stage.

“The ETS has moved a step further on its pro-investment track. Although pitfalls still remain at Council level we are confident that the current text can be improved on” says Nicola Rega, Energy and Climate Change Director at CEPI

The industry commends several key aspects of the Parliament’s decision:
• Reemphasising the need for all sectors to contribute to reducing carbon emissions
• Encouragement of early movers investing in low-carbon technologies
• Maintaining flexibility in setting the auction share
• A first step in finding solutions to help member states with compensation for indirect carbon costs
• The development of a wider-ranging fund for innovation supporting industry transition towards a low-carbon economy

Unfortunately, the macro-agreement at the core of the decision by the Parliament still maintains traces of discrimination between sectors, ultimately rewarding those investing the least in carbon emission reductions. But we are confident that this environmentally and legally questionable element will be removed as the next stage of the negotiations. This would guarantee that fairness remains a core component of the ETS.

For more information, please contact Nicola Rega at n.rega@cepi.org or by phone at (+32) 485 40 34 12

The successful Horizon 2020 IMPACTPapeRec Project Conference united more than 50 professionals from across Europe and debated the ways to increase separate paper collection in the EU, a key element in Europe’s transition towards a Circular Economy. The event took place in Barcelona (Spain) on 24 January.

IMPACTPapeRec brings together the whole paper value chain for the first time in a joint project with the two-fold goal of promoting separate collection of “Paper for Recycling” and avoiding landfilling and incineration, particularly in countries with a low recycling rate. The event constitutes a step further in that direction.

In the past year, project partners exchanged views with paper collection decision-makers from seven municipalities ranging from the U.K to Romania, Poland, Bulgaria and France and mapped out the current waste management systems in Europe.

The mapping, presented at the conference, revealed major differences in challenges between countries with a well-established recycling system and those where such a system is still being implemented. In addition, citizen awareness and motivation was a recurring topic throughout the event.

In order to enhance the discussion, key experts spoke about the importance of quality of Paper for Recycling, efficiency of payment systems and incentives to encourage recycling, as well as the sensitive issue of informal paper collection outside officially-established waste management systems.

In addition, the partners presented some of the identified best practices, which will undergo a deeper analysis throughout the months to come. Participants also participated in a world-café format informative meeting, sharing their views on critical issues such as standardisation and policymaking developments.
“Paper collection is a multi-dimensional issue and finding a stand-alone solution is not possible”, said Antonio Dobón, project coordinator from ITENE. “We are confident that the project will help us find the right ways to promote paper collection wherever we can”.

The project will come to an end in January 2018 with a final conference organised in Brussels. Until then, the 19 partners will continue to work towards achieving the project’s objectives. A number of the best practices identified will be selected, leading to the publication of an informational web-based “handbook“, a practical guide to help municipalities achieve better collection rates.

The Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) welcomes today’s vote in Environment Committee (ENVI) strengthening the foundation of a truly circular economy in Europe.
“MEPs are now one step closer to building a truly circular economy” says Sylvain Lhôte, CEPI Director General. “The package needs to be kept on the right track in order to deliver the circular economy in and for Europe".

CEPI welcomes ENVI’s call to measure real recycling rates at the input to the final recycling process. To truly drive circularity in Europe, it is essential that material is only considered recycled once it enters the final production process and is actually reprocessed.

CEPI also supports the ENVI’s call for quality standards and traceability in the paper recycling chain that will enhance targeted investments and serve the efficient functioning of the secondary raw material market in Europe.

The reinforcement of separate collection will also drive quality recycling and boost circularity of Europe’s economy. In the past, authorities have used a loophole in the separate collection obligation to collect paper in co-mingled streams, undermining high quality recycling. CEPI is therefore concerned that the proposal to exempt scarcely populated areas from this obligation may unnecessarily open up a gap.

CEPI will further assess the extremely high gap between recycling targets of competing packaging materials, envisioned by MEPs.

Finally, CEPI is also encouraged by ENVI’s call on Member States to promote the use of bio-based recyclable packaging. “Leveraging on nature’s cycles for the circular economy is a welcome complement to the ambition of the Commission’s proposal” says Ulrich Leberle, CEPI Raw Materials Director.

For more information, please contact Ulrich Leberle at u.leberle@cepi.org or by phone at (+32) 2 62749 23